The Tribes of K'haren - Completed

Chapter 29.3

'Now look at that!' The queen said, a smile on her lips. Raf turned around to look. She was standing in front of a huge mirror and looking at K'haren through it. He'd seen her do that before, yet she'd never allowed him to share the view.

'What is it?'

'They are fighting!' She giggled like a little girl as Raf jumped to her side, staring in horror.

It took a moment until he realised what was going on. The people he was looking at were all phraio, fighting each other. They must be the armies in the north of K'haren, Raf thought to himself.

'Where is our army then? Shouldn't they have something to do with it?' Raf said, calmer now that he knew it wasn't his friends being in the middle of a fight.

'Oh, they're still somewhere near where we've left them. But this fight, now, that is a masterpiece. Somebody planned that... seems like we have some invisible allies... Let's see who that might be.'

The queen turned away from the mirror causing the image to fade away immediately. She walked across the room to a small desk and went through the many drawers. When she found what she'd been looking for, the queen laughed with joy, something she did more often than Raf would have appreciated. Actually, never would have been just fine with him.

'See, this I can use to find out who else is stirring trouble in K'haren...' She spoke, holding up a small flask with something yellow glowing inside. The substance seemed awkwardly out of place in the dark castle surrounded by everlasting night. Yet it shone on happily as if it was trying to imitate the sun.

'What is it?' Raf asked out of actual curiosity.

'Oh, it's just blood.'

'Blood? But, it's yellow...' The queen's only answer to his remark was a knowing smile.

Paws were drumming on the ground at regular intervals, accompanied by wingbeats not far behind. Then they came to a sudden halt. The flying creatures landed just behind the previously running one. One of them landed nearly silently, the other with a loud thud.

Sniffing the ground eagerly, the pawed creature moved on and on over the clearing. The grass was full of scent, telling a whole story. But then it just stopped. Something was wrong. The scent the creature had only just found again suddenly disappeared. Not even the similar one it had been following all along was to be smelled anymore. Gone.

A loud roar made one of the others fly off and circle a few times before landing again. In the meantime, the pawed creature lay down on the ground in a ball where the scent was still strong. No, it wasn't going to give up. If the scent had disappeared here, it had to reappear here as well. It was by all means their best chance. When the smaller winged creature approached and reached out a hand to it, the other replied with a deep growl.

'It's alright, Bay, we'll find him. I promise you, we'll find him.'

The baymout opened an eye and looked up at the small creature. Had it not been the one to lead it to the scent, it would have killed it for the approach. Bay most definitely wasn't in the best mood. Even Luthi could tell and kept his distance from her.

'Soldiers, get moving, we're leaving! Almrut!' Elgron's voice echoed from a nearby treeline.

'What?' Nume muttered in confusion.

'How can you not believe me? Do you really think there is another possible reason for them to not have attacked yet? We've been standing here all along and they've done nothing to you!' Kran kept discussing with his father, not even noticing the other army's retreat.

'Neither have we attacked them while we very well could! You're just trying to lure us into a trap!' Orkun accused his son.

'Father, please, be sensible!'

'Kran...' Everybody's heads turned towards Nume. Most of them were still not used to a woman interrupting anybody else, especially not the leaders and Nume didn't like being reminded of her former position in the tribe. 'They're kind of leaving. We have to go with them.'

'What?' He now asked, turning his umeno around to watch the last soldiers disappear into the forest. 'But...'

'Guess they got tired of doing nothing and saw a chance to escape. If we don't hurry, they might find others.' Nume said, pushing her umeno forwards towards the treeline. Everybody from their tribe except for Kran immediately followed.

'You see? They couldn't attack you so they're now looking for somebody foolish enough to strike first! Please, just, stay away, okay?' Kran begged.

'Oh I will. And so will you, get him!' Orkun commanded. Without hesitation, men sprung forwards, surrounding the frightened umeno. The poor creature wasn't used to anything like it and refused to listen to Kran's command to just push through their rows.

'Nume!' He yelled.

She turned her head to see what was going on and was about to return when Tarlequin grabbed her umeno's gear.

'Don't, you don't stand a chance!'

'But they'll hurt him!' She shouted at the faun.

'No they won't, come on, we have to follow the army before we lose them in the forest!' Tarlequin insisted. 'If you return now, they'll only capture you as well! Trust me, Kran will be fine. We have a mission to fulfil.'

'Dragons!' There is was again, her joyful laugh. Raf looked at the queen displeased. 'Now that's just fabulous, don't you think?'

'Sure...'

'Well, well, somebody didn't sleep too well, ain't I right?' Raf ignored the hint.

'So the dragons are on our side ten?' He asked instead.

'Technically, they can't be. They're alive and in K'haren thus they must be our enemies, but it seems like they've decided to help us. I'm sure they'll ask for something in return, don't you want to know what that might be? I certainly do...' The queen tiptoed over to her mirror and touched it, bringing it back to life.

The scene they were gazing upon now was different from the previous one. There was no battlefield, instead, Raf recognized the old dragon king. He was surrounded by many much smaller dragons and to Raf's surprise, even Zar'gno, the cyan-winged dragon was there. Had he not been with the army the other day?

'Interesting, very interesting. Let's go through, shall we?' The queen said, holding out her left hand to her husband. Raf took it and nodded. With yet another touch, the mirror became liquid and the fluid spread to the sides, allowing a hole to form in the middle, just big enough for the two to step through.

In the middle of his story, Zar'gno was interrupted by a small portal opening between him and the king. He swore silently. Not only had it taken him forever to get everybody to shut up so he could tell his story, he had also recognised the portal immediately. But he had not yet been talking for long enough to tell the king about the queen of the night.

'Finally.' The dragon king's deep voice echoed in everybody's heads. 'Welcome, milady.'

'What? You know her?!' Zar'gno nervously opened his wings and refolded them.

'Get rid of the traitor for me, will you?' The king said to a large blue dragon with many scars sitting at his side.

'Of course, your majesty.' Before the dragon could spread its wings, Zar'gno was already in the air and rushing away.

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